Salary
Average Salary: $68,000
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $2,838,864
You'll make an okay living as a child psychologist, but this isn't the career for gold-diggers. You will probably earn your first psych-related salary as a lowly intern, picking up about $24,000 a year to spend on textbooks and ramen noodles (source). A freshly hatched psychologist makes about $45,000-$55,000, but you'll get a bit more once you're certified. After five or so years in the field, your paycheck will swell to a modest but healthy $65,000 to $90,000 (source). Hey, it's a living.
Garden variety child psychologists can expect $67,880 a year, but specialists usually haul in more (source). School psychologists, for example, land on the higher side of the spectrum with $90,000 (source). Need a salary boost so you can afford that tenth adoption? Consider starting a private practice, publishing in a professional journal, or nabbing another degree to increase your bankability.
Now, not to rain on your parade, but that school stuff can get kinda expensive, and you're gonna need a lot of it. The average graduate drags around almost $80,000 in debt, and if you take a gander at the salaries above, you'll see that the odds aren't in your favor. That's why it pays to plan ahead. Find a good, modestly-priced degree program, look into financial aid, grants, or a work study program, or take some of your basic coursework at a junior college.